Rachel Annetta Robinson (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Isum; born July 19, 1922) is the widow of professional baseball player

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color lin ...

, as well as an American former professor and registered nurse.

Life and work

Rachel Isum was born in Pasadena, California, and attended

Manual Arts High School Manual Arts High School is a secondary public school in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high sch ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, and the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

(UCLA). At UCLA, she met Robinson in 1941 prior to his leaving UCLA when his baseball eligibility ran out. She graduated from UCLA on June 1, 1945, with a bachelor's degree in nursing. Rachel and Robinson married on February 10, 1946, the year before he broke into the big leagues. They had three children: Jackie, Jr. (1946–1971), Sharon (born 1950), and David (born 1952). After Jackie Robinson's retirement from baseball following the 1956 season, Rachel Robinson further pursued her nursing career, obtaining a master's degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University. She worked as a researcher and clinician at the

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...

's Department of Social and Community Psychiatry, a position she held for five years. She then became an Assistant Professor at

Yale School of Nursing Yale School of Nursing (YSN) is the nursing school of Yale University, located in West Haven, Connecticut. It is among the top 20 graduate schools in the country, according to the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report (2017). In addition to ...

and later the Director of Nursing at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. In 1972, she incorporated the Jackie Robinson Development Corporation, a real estate development company specializing in low- to moderate-income housing, and served as president for ten years. In 1973, she founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation, a not-for-profit organization providing educational and leadership opportunities for minority students. The Foundation has provided support for over 1,000 minority students and has maintained a 97% graduation rate among its scholars. In 1996, she coauthored ''Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait'' with Lee Daniels, published by Abrams Publishing Company.

Awards and honors

In 2007, she was awarded the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award by Commissioner

Bud Selig Allan Huber "Bud" Selig (; born July 30, 1934) is an American baseball executive who currently serves as the Commissioner Emeritus of Baseball. Previously, he served as the ninth Commissioner of Baseball from 1998 to 2015. He initially served a ...

. In 2009, she received the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

Medal from Chancellor Gene Block for her lifetime achievements. The UCLA Medal is the university's highest honor and was created to "honor those individuals who have made extraordinary and distinguished contributions to their professions, to higher education, to our society, and to the people of UCLA." In addition to earning twelve honorary doctorates, Robinson was awarded the

Candace Award The Candace Award is an award that was given from 1982 to 1992 by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW) to "Black role models of uncommon distinction who have set a standard of excellence for young people of all races". Candace (pronoun ...

for Distinguished Service from the

National Coalition of 100 Black Women The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) is a non-profit volunteer organization for African American women. Its members address common issues in their communities, families and personal lives, promoting gender and racial equity. H ...

, the Equitable Life Black Achiever's Award and the Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Award. Robinson was inducted into the

Baseball Reliquary The Baseball Reliquary is a nonprofit educational organization "dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history and to exploring the national pastime’s unparalleled creative possibilities ...

's Shrine of the Eternals in 2014."Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees"
Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved 2019-08-14. In 2017, she received the

Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award The Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award is an award presented by the National Baseball Hall of Fame not more than once every three years to honor an individual who enhances baseball's positive image on society, who broadens the game's appeal, an ...

from the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball- ...

Jackie Robinson Foundation

The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a national, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which gives scholarships to minority youths for higher education, as well as preserving the legacy of Baseball Hall of Fame member, Jackie Robinson. It was founded in 1973 by Rachel Robinson. It's located in New York, New York, United States. Its motto is "JRF has provided college and graduate school scholarships as well as leadership development opportunities for highly motivated students of color with limited financial resources."

Portrayals

Robinson was portrayed by

Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of ''A Raisin in the Sun'' (19 ...

in the 1950 film ''

The Jackie Robinson Story ''The Jackie Robinson Story'' is a 1950 biographical film directed by Alfred E. Green (who had directed ''The Jolson Story'', "one of the biggest hits of the 40s") and starring Jackie Robinson as himself. The film focuses on Robinson's struggle w ...

'' and by

Nicole Beharie Nicole Beharie is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles in films such as the drama ''American Violet'' (2008), the psychological drama ''Shame'' (2011), the biographical sports drama '' 42'' (2013), and the independent d ...

in the 2013 film '' 42.''

Personal life

On July 19, 2022, Rachel Robinson

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

. She currently resides on a farm in

Salem, Connecticut Salem is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,213 at the 2020 census. History Pre-incorporation The area was originally inhabited by the Mohegan people. The first settlement of European origin in p ...

References

External links

Jackie Robinson Foundation Website
*
Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Rachel Robinson
at th
Baseball Hall of Fame

* ttps://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2007-04-15-exec-advice-robinson_N.htm "Advice from the Top: Robinson's widow offers lessons" ''USA Today'' Q&A, April 16, 2007
Rachel Robinson's oral history video excerpts
at the National Visionary Leadership Project * Peter Dreier

The Huffington Post, July 20, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Rachel 1922 births American centenarians Living people Writers from Los Angeles Jackie Robinson American nursing administrators African-American centenarians African-American educators African-American nurses American nurses American women nurses Nursing educators New York University alumni Women centenarians Yale University faculty UCLA School of Nursing alumni Baseball players' wives and girlfriends